Sure enough, April Van Linsted, was trying to make the car they'd escaped in move, but the engine refused to turn over. She was banging at the steering wheel as Livy stood in front of it shaking her head.
I held up my own keys. "Liv, here." I tossed them to her and glowered at April Van Linsted. "You can either choose to stay here and hope that the police get here before his friends do, or you can come with us."
The older woman scowled at me, but then she pushed open the driver's side door and stumbled out. "I thought you were going to die. I wasn't going leave you here." Her words started to slur together. Was shock starting to set in?
Livy had pulled my rental close to the wrecked car they’d been driving. She hopped out and opened the back door for April. "Just get the fuck in."
"I think it's better if I sit up front."
"Not happening old lady. Get in or die here. I don't care which."
There was something hard in her voice, and I knew it was a direct result of what she'd been through. Will she be okay?
I had no way of knowing. All I knew was that I had her back and she was safe. When she was settled in next to me, I started the engine and put my hand on her lap, gently stroking her knee. She wrapped her hand over mine, held it tight, and just nodded. "Thank you for coming for me."
"Well, from the looks of it, you rescued yourself."
"Still, thank you. I'm not sure where I was running to, but I was prepared to go out fighting."
I turned her hand over and kissed her palm. "I will always come for you."
She squeezed my hand and then turned to face the window as I made a U-turn, heading back toward the city. When she was safe and at home, we would talk. But for the moment, I let her have her silence.
3
Ben
On the car ride home, I hadn't really let myself inspect Livy.
But when we got back to East’s loft, when I let myself really look at her, I saw just how shook up she was. I wanted to take her home, but we still had all our planning materials for the Gem Gala at the house. And wonder of wonders, Livy was with April Van Linsted, so we’d had to go to the loft instead.
For starters, she was fucking bleeding. Her face was bruised. Her hair was knotted. The evening gown that she'd worn was torn and wet on the bottom. One of the straps was broken. and it looked like she'd made a makeshift knot to keep it on. She looked like she had crawled out of a Fight Club pit.
But she's alive.
That she was. Her heart was beating, and she kept giving me these soft smiles. As if I'd done something worthy of her. No. I hadn't. It was because of me that she was in this mess. It was because I couldn't let sleeping dogs lie, even though she was the one who’d said go forward.
She might have made that choice on her own, but that didn't assuage my guilt any. She could have died. And then where would I be? If I'd been left broken by Lila, a woman I barely knew and certainly didn't love, then what would happen to me if something happened to Livy?
You would be irrevocably broken. But luckily, you don't have to worry about that.
When we returned to the penthouse, April was still out. She had fallen asleep on the ride back to East’s. Livy said she was afraid their captors had drugged the water they’d given them and it might be a while before she’d wake up. We put her in a guest room, and the doctor was on his way to check both of them out. I was hoping April just had a mild concussion or had been mildly sedated because dealing with Marcus if something else was wrong with her was going to be a problem.
I reached tentatively for the woman who had my sole attention. "Liv."
Her smile was tremulous. “Hey, you.”
I grasped hold of her, and I knew I couldn't let go. I couldn't walk away. I might never let her go. She held on to me just as tightly, sobbing lightly into my chest.
“Hey love, you’re okay. I have you.”
She nodded. “I know. And I knew you were coming for me. I just also knew I had to give you some help. I always believed—”
I pulled back slightly, framing her face with my hands. “Hey, look at me.” Watery eyes lifted to meet mine. “I am so proud of you. You fought to survive, and I couldn’t have done a better job myself. You are so incredibly strong.”
She nodded and a fresh wave of tears began. Leaning in, I gave her a kiss. She tasted salty and sweet. “I was so scared.”
I wasn’t going to tell her that I was terrified I wouldn’t find her and I’d never see her again. I wasn’t going to tell her that part of me thought I’d be too late. Besides, my fear was nothing compared to what she felt.
I couldn’t even comprehend that type of terror.
Never let her go.
Like I could. She was mine, and our insane plan was almost over. She was never going to have to face danger like that again.
And then I couldn't be sure if she crashed back into my arms or if I dragged her in. But she was there, warm and soft. She smelled like gasoline and something musty. But underneath it all was her scent. Coconut and lime.
I could still smell it. As if her skin was infused with it. She was fucking alive. I didn't want to let her go. I just tucked her into me, my heart hammering against my ribs. I was certain she could feel it, feel the pain and concern I'd had over the last twelve hours. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."
She chuckled a little, but still wrapped her arms around my waist and held on tight. "It's not a dream. Unless I'm the one who’s dreaming, because I swear to God, I had this dream from the moment I woke up."
"It's not a dream. I have you. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to you."
"How did you know where I was?"
"Your dress. In the zipper. I had East put another tracker in it."
For once, she wasn't perturbed or angry or annoyed. She just nodded. “Thank God.”
It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. Two detective inspectors, both wearing stern expressions, appeared in the living room.
The man was fairly tall, reed thin, and had a hawkish look to his face. The woman was short and pleasantly plump with rosy cheeks and dark hair. And they both looked very no-nonsense.
I didn't want Livy to have to do this right now, but it was better now than later while it was still fresh and we would be able to get everything directly from her.
Except, you weren't the one to save her. How had she gotten free? Where had she been?
"Are you okay to do this?" I murmured into her ear.
She nodded as her tongue peeked out to lick a bloody lip. "Yeah. Let’s get this over with."
Her voice was a hoarse whisper as her gaze roamed over me.
The man stepped forward and introduced himself as Detective Inspector Spencer and his partner as Detective Inspector Jones.
"Inspectors, thank you for agreeing to do the interview here. Both Livy and Mrs. Van Linsted have been through quite an ordeal. Mrs. Van Linsted is still out in the spare room, and medical personnel is on its way. If we can do the most pressing questions first, then I can bring her down to the station for more later if that’s okay with you."
Detective Inspector Spencer nodded slowly as if trying very hard to appease me, but it was obvious he was still bent out of shape at not doing this interview at the scene. "We appreciate that, Mr. Covington. But it's better we ask questions as quickly as possible. And if she's still in danger, we can provide protection."